Friday, February 3, 2017

Valley of Death

“It is appointed for man to die and then the judgment” (Hebrews
9:27).It is said that nothing is
certain except death and taxes. David certainly understood this fact as he
wrote the 23rd Psalm. This psalm is perhaps the best-known
Scripture, perhaps because of the subject and how it is handled. It is
otherwise known as the “Shepherd Psalm. ”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil; for You are with me, Your rod and your staff, they comfort me ” (Psalm
23:4 NKJV). This is a familiar verse to most people, even if they are not
believers. I have had the privilege to say these words at nearly 200 funerals
or memorial services, usually at the request of the deceased or their loved
ones. Why so prevalent?

This verse is very comforting in the face of “The End.” At
least most people think of death as the last mountain.To the Christian, this is just the beginning
of life with God in heaven. For the Christian this should be a joyful time,
except for the uncertainty of when and how.How is it comforting? It says so.God, the Good Shepherd is with us always. In Deuteronomy, “And
the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not
leave you nor forsake you; do not be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6). In
the Gospels, “ I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matthew
28:20). Hebrews 13:5 says “I will never leave you or forsake you…The
Lord is my helper; I will not fear.” These and other similar promises
are very encouraging.

One of my favorite funeral homilies or sermons talked about
the shadow of death. The Pastor told of a little girl afraid of shadows. Her
father took her for a car ride. At a stoplight they had to wait while an
18-wheeler stopped and left its hug shadow upon them. As it pulled forward the
shadow move and left them uncovered in the sunlight. This is how death works
for a Christian. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body
and present with the Lord” (2
Corinthians 5:7). The whole chapter talks of being clothed with Christ, a new
body of light.

I like to talk of how we walk through the valley. We do not
stop or have a penalty box time. We go right on through to heaven. One breathe
in here and the breath out in heaven. Transformed from darkness into light. I
also like the “darkness” translation because it describes life on earth. But “God
is light and in Him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5). Here there is
death and in heaven there is not. Here there is pain and tears and fears, in
heaven there is not. Light covers and transforms the darkness; it takes it
away.

“Fear not” occurs some 365 times in Scripture, once for every
day like a good vitamin. God would not have said it so much if we did not need
this reassurance so much. What do we fear? We fear just about everything in
some way or at some time in our lives. In fact some people live in fear all the
time. This is called anxiety and causes depression or panic attacks. It seems
that this state of mind and spirit is slowly pervading our society entirely.
Psalm 23 says, “I shall fear no evil.”Why? For You, God is with me. There is the key; God is with us,
Immanuel.And what does God say? Min rod
and my staff they comfort you. The rod is a club used to destroy the enemy,
whatever it is, animal, human or fear of anything.David used one to take out the bear and the
lion.The staff is a crooked stick about
six feet long used to guide the wayward sheep, or us back on the path when we
stray. Oh, and by the way, the rod can be used on us when we disobey as a
disciplinarian. God does discipline. He does not punish, He took that on the
cross for all of us.

Comfort us? How can a rod and staff comfort? By protecting
us and directing us God comforts us. In Isaiah, after 39 chapters of trial,
exile and troubles, God says “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (Isaiah
40:1). He is a comforter through the storms and in the storms of life.

Meanwhile, Back to death. I have had the privilege to be
with many people as they have passed from this life into the next. I have
experienced many emotions in the dying. However, I will say that those who
trusted in the Lord always have died peacefully. Those that did not trust in
the Lord, did not. I have experienced dying people seeing and feeling spiritual
beings in their presence that brought great comfort. One man said he was seeing
his relatives; another experienced Jesus Himself just as he took his last
breath. I too experienced this blessing from heaven with them. I saw and felt
them in my presence. We are body, mind and spirit and the spirit remains. A
feeling of peace and warmth filled me and the dying in these times.To the contrary, those dying without the Lord
in my ministry saw and experienced pain, fear and visions that terrified them.
They did not die in peace, but panic. Take these true stories, as you will.

I for one am glad, and grateful that the Lord is my
Shepherd. I know that I have a “Valley Guide” to show me through this dark
place where the rivers flow and the flowers grow. Thank you Jesus!